Why do people create art? What is the driving force behind creation? People have been making visual art since the beginnings of human history, for a myriad of compelling and complex reasons. If you visit an art museum you can see how true this is. It’s overwhelming and impossible to really take it all in.
The process of artmaking begins with the question, “What should I create?” You, as an artist have to ask the same question: what do you want to create? Maybe you don’t know where to begin. Even if you have an idea you would like to explore, it is valuable to expand your horizons by considering some of the ideas that other artists have investigated.
Following is a list of a number of different purposes, motivations, incentives, rationales, intentions—the ideas behind the art. You can add your own.